Master classes in Delhi

20 November 2018

In October, South African cellist Berthine van Schoor went to Delhi, India to give master classes at the Delhi School of Music. Earlier this year, she received an award from the University of Pretoria in recognition of her excellent performances and decided to use part of the prize money for a project in India. She was hosted by former Austrian Ambassador to South Africa, Brigitte Oeppinger-Walchshofer, who has been posted to the Austrian Embassy in New Delhi.

"The Delhi School of Music does not have a permanent cello teacher, so it made sense to offer some assistance in that department. The students were eager to learn and made a lot of progress during the few days. It was good to be able to make a difference in these student’s lives, who clearly share a love of music," said Berthine.

While in Delhi she visited some of Delhi’s world heritage sights, including Humayun’s Tomb and the Qutub Minar Complex.

Berthine van Schoor is an award winning cellist who studied at the University of Stellenbosch and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. After completing her studies, she was the principal cellist in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bad Reichenhall, Germany. Upon her return to South Africa, she founded her own Cello Academy which has produced numerous excellent cellists. She has performed in many countries in Europe, as well as in India and Japan. Berthine has organised as well as performed in concerts for several embassies in Pretoria, including the Italian, Norwegian and Hungarian embassies, the High Commission of India, the Indian Consulates in Durban and Johannesburg, as well as the Alliance Francaise. She also performed at the South African embassy in Rome.